Linux users outlawed by Microsoft, their downloads disabled
By Matt Jansen
Microsoft has established quite a reputation by domineering the operating system industry and pressuring other players out. It seems that one way the company is maintaining that foothold is by throttling access to its MSDN network, making it difficult for Linux users to download files inside the system.
Jason Perlow over at ZDNet talks about his recent experience logging into the MSDN with a Linux box and encountering some roadblocks.
. . . for the first time today, when building a new VirtualBox instance of Windows XP SP3, I tried to access it and download a few ISO files from the MSDN site so I could mount them in my VirtualBox VM. Oh, I had no problem logging in. But download software? Sorry.
It seems the problem lies with trying to download files using any browser other than Internet Explorer. Would you expect any different from Microsoft? Linux, Firefox and any other open source solution poses a threat to Microsoft’s dominance and from its perspective it has no compelling reason to foster compatibility between its system and Linux, or Firefox.
Perlow talks about a workaround involving ies4linux, but Microsoft’s typical bullish behavior is forcing its end users to circumvent a bad system instead of catering to their needs. That’s what happens when a company gets too far removed from its customers and makes decisions based solely on company objectives.
Of course, if Microsoft got its way, everyone would be using the latest of version of Office on Windows Vista, collaborating on SharePoint and accessing networks through a Windows Server. It would be a Microsoft candyland!
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Stumble It!
May 30th, 2008
I don’t see problem. It’s their sandbox, they are entitled to do as they wish. Why should they make a competitors product easier to use? You can’t activate Windows or use Microsoft updates through Firefox either.
May 30th, 2008
Ken i agree with you. but by them not allowing other browsers, it limits other people too. The only time I ever use IE is when i’m looking for compatibility issues for web designs. Because IE is the only browser who has issues. You have to build a website twice because of IE. If IE didn’t exist, Pretty much all browsers would use the same style.
May 30th, 2008
Joshua,
I use Linux so I feel your pain. It seems like I was constantly sending comments to some pretty big companies that had glitches when I tried to pay my bills online. Frontpage was the work of Satan.
But we are talking about Microsoft’s own websites. It’s not surprising they would make you use their product.
May 31st, 2008
I prefer to think of this as another example of a lack of skill on Microsoft’s part. Maybe the Microsoft tools for creating web content are very poor and cannot create universal content. So! As a company looking at Microsoft’s own web sites and realize that if you use Microsoft tools you are losing some Apple users, Linux users, old Windows users, etc. etc. etc. 20% plus of your potential audience. Use free open source tools and save all those valuable users.
June 2nd, 2008
Actually, it points out how skilled the folks at Microsoft are at the extend, embrace, extinguish strategy where hijacking open standards are concerned.
They basically bludgeoned Netscape from a front running browser to a grease spot, and yes I’m aware of the history of Mozilla.
You can hate Microsoft for many reasons, but IE roared from behind to easily stomp out Netscape at the cost of some court time and a toothless Justice Department rulings. It bought them an additional decade of Web dominance.
Lack of skill is not the issue.